The potential of RPE65 for EAU and autoimmune disease against RPE

1999 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10671631
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ophthalmology
• Research Institution: AKITA UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: KONDO Isao School of Medicine, Akita University, Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (50234927)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SAKURAGI Shozo School of Medicine, Akita University, Professor, 医学部, 教授 (80006767) ; YAMAKI Kunihiko School of Medicine, Akita University, Associate professor, 医学部, 助教授 (20125751)
• Project Period (FY): 1998 – 1999
• Keywords: RPE65 / EAU / PEPTIDES / AUTOREACTIVE T CELLS

Research Abstract

Purpose. To investigate the potential of the retinal pigment epithelium-specific 65kDa protein (RPE65) to induce experimental autoimmune uveitis in Lewis rats.
Methods. Peptides were chemically synthesized based on human RPE65 amino acids sequences. Lewis rats were immunized with injection of RPE65 emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant into a footpad and intraperioneal space.
Results. Active immunization of rats with RPE65 induced EAU induced EAU. The clinical course of EAU was similar to those induced by the injection of S-antigen or IRBP. But the histopathologic changes were clearly different from those of ordinal EAU induced by the retinal antigens. The inflammation was induced mainly from the RPE and the choroid and the neural retina was preserved almost intact condition.
Conclusions. RPE65, a retinal pigment epithelium-specific protein is capable of inducing EAU. This EAU was more resembled human uveitis than that induced by retinal antigens.